This final rule reforms Medicare regulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and suppliers, as well as certain regulations under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). This final rule also increases the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert resources away from providing high quality patient care. We are issuing this rule to achieve regulatory reforms under Executive Order 13563 on improving regulation and regulatory review and the Department's plan for retrospective review of existing rules. This is the latest in a series of rules developed by CMS over the last 5 years to reform existing rules to reduce unnecessary costs and increase flexibility for health care providers.

This document corrects a technical error that appeared in the final rule published in the Federal Register (77 FR 29034) on May 16, 2012, entitled “Reform of Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation.”

This final rule reforms Medicare regulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and suppliers, as well as certain regulations under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). This final rule also increases the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert resources away from providing high quality patient care. We are issuing this rule to achieve regulatory reforms under Executive Order 13563 on improving regulation and regulatory review and the Department's plan for retrospective review of existing rules. This is the latest in a series of rules developed by CMS over the last 5 years to reform existing rules to reduce unnecessary costs and increase flexibility for health care providers.

To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. on June 16, 2014.

42 CFR Parts 403, 416, 418, 460, 482, 483, and 485

Summary

This proposed rule would amend the fire safety standards for Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals, critical access hospitals (CAHs), long-term care facilities, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF-IID), ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), hospices which provide inpatient services, religious non-medical health care institutions (RNHCIs), and programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) facilities. Further, this proposed rule would adopt the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code (LSC) and eliminate references in our regulations to all earlier editions. It would also adopt the 2012 edition of the Health Care Facilities Code, with some exceptions. We are providing the LSC citation, a description of the 2012 requirement, and an explanation of its benefits for health care facilities, patients, staff, and visitors over the 2000 version in each occupancy section.

This document corrects a technical error that appeared in the final rule published in the Federal Register (77 FR 29034) on May 16, 2012, entitled “Reform of Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation.”

This document extends the comment period for the Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers proposed rule, which was published in the December 27, 2013 Federal Register (78 FR 79082 through 79200). The comment period for the proposed rule, which would have ended on February 25, 2014, is extended to March 31, 2014.

This proposed rule would establish national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers and suppliers to ensure that they adequately plan for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency preparedness systems. It would also ensure that these providers and suppliers are adequately prepared to meet the needs of patients, residents, clients, and participants during disasters and emergency situations. We are proposing emergency preparedness requirements that 17 provider and supplier types must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Since existing Medicare and Medicaid requirements vary across the types of providers and suppliers, we are also proposing variations in these requirements. These variations are based on existing statutory and regulatory policies and differing needs of each provider or supplier type and the individuals to whom they provide health care services. Despite these variations, our proposed regulations would provide generally consistent emergency preparedness requirements, enhance patient safety during emergencies for persons served by Medicare- and Medicaid-participating facilities, and establish a more coordinated and defined response to natural and man-made disasters.